Communal politics 1919 – 1934

After a short process of transition, the creation of the republic was tied to a change in political leadership in Linz: the introduction of general, equal and secret elections, including woman suffrage, resulted in the Social Democrats becoming the dominant force in local politics.

One of the main problems for local government was the shortage of housing. There was largely consensus on the need for new housing, but there was disagreement on the best way to go about getting it. While the Social Democrats preferred multiple-occupancy housing, the conservative party were for detached, single occupancy houses. There were single differences of opinion over the issues of developers and financing

Strongly criticised by the conservatives, the social democratic majority in the municipal government broke new ground in youth welfare and in education. Child care facilities and prophylactic health care were introduced. The design of the Diesterweg school corresponded to the educational perceptions of the time. The  construction of the first public swimming pool in Upper Austria was also a response to concerns over public hygiene.